===

1st round draft pick Kazuki Mishima is scheduled to start Saturday's exhibition game against Orix.

Source: Daily Sports 2/22/2013

===

Kevin Moscatel was assigned the number 115.

Source: official announcement

===

Kisho Kagami has right shoulder pain and is being sent down to Ni-gun for rehab.  He is the seventh player to be sent down to Ni-gun to rehab an injury during spring camp.

Source: Sponichi 2/22/2013

========== Practice Games ==========

Nexen (KBO) 6 - Yokohama Bay Stars 1 (called in the 6th inning due to rain)

• Hiroshi Kobayashi started the game and gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits over three innings of work.  He gave up a solo home run and topped out at 143km/h.
• The offense was limited to just one hit.
• Tony Blanco started at first and batted fourth.  He grounded out to short and struck out swinging in his two trips to the plate.  He also made a throwing error to home plate in the 3rd that led to two runs.

Source: Sponichi 2/22/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/22/2013, Sanspo 2/22/2013, Sponichi 2/23/2013

===

KIA (KBO) 5 - Chunichi Dragons 4 (game was called after five innings due to rain)

• Yudai Ono started the game and gave up four runs on seven hits over four innings of work.  He allowed all four runs to score in the 1st on five hits and one HBP.
• Soma Yamauchi relieved Ono and gave up a run over an inning of work.
• Yohei Oshima started in center and batted first.  He went 1-for-2: singled to right in his first at bat and struck out looking in his second at bat.  He was replaced on defense in the 4th.
• Hector Luna was the starting DH and batted fourth.  He went 2-for-2: RBI single through the left side in the 1st inning and a single to center in the 4th.

Source: Sponichi 2/22/2013, Sponichi 2/22/2013, Sanspo 2/22/2013, Sponichi 2/23/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/23/2013

===

LG (KBO) 2 - Chiba Lotte Marines 5 (game called after five innings due to rain)

• Takuya Furuya started the game and surrendered a run on three hits over four innings of work.  He struck out the four, six, and seven batters in the 4th.
• Shunichi Nemoto (batting second) and Shoitsu Omatsu (batting clean-up) hit solo homers in the 1st inning.
• Shoitsu Omatsu batted fourth and went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/22/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/22/2013, Sponichi 2/22/2013, Sponichi 2/23/2013

The Bay Stars held a press conference at Ginowan Stadium to formally introduce Kevin Moscatel to the media today.

Source: Sports Hochi 2/21/2013

===

Pitching coach Yui Tomori spent close to two hours hitting about 1,500 grounders to Kisho Kagami during workouts today.

Kagami is scheduled to report to NI-gun camp on Friday.

Source: Sponichi 2/21/2013

According to Daily Sports, the deal was the session would end once Kagami fielded the ball 100 consecutive times without committing an error.

Source: Daily Sports 2/21/2013

===

The Bay Stars will begin selling a Ninja Nyjer t-shirt at Ginowan on the 23rd.  The shirts will come in one size (large) and supplies will be limited (100).  Each shirt will cost 3,000 yen.  The t-shirts will also become available at the official team store on March 1.

Source: official announcement, Sponichi 2/21/2013

===

Kenji Tsuchiya has been timed at 1.45 seconds to the plate.  Pitching coach Yui Tomori wants him to drop that down to around 1.2 seconds.

Source: Sports Hochi 2/20/2013

===

Kiyoshi Nakahata is planning to give Nyjer Morgan a look at lead-off, beginning with a practice game against Nexen (KBO) on the 22nd.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013

===

Shugo Fujii and Kazumasa Kikuchi were called up to Ichi-gun camp today.

Source: Sanspo 2/20/2013

===

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo is 7-for-11 with seven RBI in three pre-season games (excluding intra-squad games).

Source: Daily Sports 2/20/2013

===

You can see a list of improvements that are scheduled at Yokohama Stadium at the Community Ballpark Project site.

========== Practice Games ==========

Nippon Ham Fighters 2 - Yakult Swallows 2

Nippon Ham

• Hiroshi Kisanuki started he game and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk over three innings of work.  Both runs scored after Kisanuki recorded two outs in the third inning.  He topped out at 144km/h.
• Dustin Molleken tossed a shutout inning in relief.  He hit 150+km/h on consecutive pitches.
• Yuya Taniguchi started in right and batted third.  He went 0-for-4 with an RBI.
• Michel Abreu was the starting DH and batted fourth.  He went 2-for-4.  He also played some first.

Yakult

• The offense recorded seven hits.
• Masanori Ishikawa started he game and did not allow any runs or hits over two innings of work.  He hit one batter.
• Orlando Roman relieved Ishikawa and gave up a run on two hits and one HBP over two innings of work.
• Tony Barnette tossed a perfect seventh.
• Kenichi Matsuoka pitched the last two innings and gave up a run on two hits and a walk.  He struck out one.
• Yuhei started in center and batted lead-off.  He went 2-for-4.
• Akinori Iwamura started at third and batted third.  He went 3-for-3 with a double.
• With runners on first and second and two out in the 3rd inning, Wladimir Balentien hit an RBI single to left off Hiroshi Kisanuki.

Source: official report (Nippon Ham), official report (Yakult), NIkkan Sports 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Sanspo 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/21/2013

===

Hanshin Tigers 4 - Yomiuri Giants 2

Hanshin

• Tatsuya Kojima started the game and allowed a run over four innings of work.  With runners on first and second and one out in the 1st inning, he gave up an RBI single to Jose Lopez.
• Kazuo Ito tossed two shutout inning.
• Kazuya Takamiya and Masanori Fujihara each tossed an inning and did not allow any runs.
• Yamato started in center and batted second.  He hit an RBI single to left in the 2nd inning and a single to left in the 6th inning.
• Matt Murton started in left and batted fifth.  He went 1-for-2.  He was removed after four innings.
• Brooks Conrad was the starting DH and batted sixth.  He went 1-for-1 with two walks.
• Masashi Nohara started at third and batted seventh.  He went 2-for-4: RBI double to left in the 2nd and a single to right in the 3rd.

Yomiuri

• Ryuya Matsumoto started the game and gave up three runs on five hits and four walks.
• Fuminori Yokogawa hit a single to right in the 6th inning and a single to right in the 8th inning.

Source: Sponichi 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Sanspo 2/20/2013, Daily Sports 2/20/2013, Daily Sports 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/21/2013, Sanspo 2/21/2013, Sanspo 2/21/2013, Daily Sports 2/21/2013, Daily Sports 2/21/2013

===

LG (KBO) 1 - Yokohama Bay Stars 9

• Kai-Wen Cheng started the game and tossed two shutout innings while allowing two hits (including one infield hit).
• Yoshitomo Tsutsugo started at third and batted clean-up.  He went 3-for-4 with three RBI.  He was a home run away from the cycle.  He hit a single to right in his second at bat, an RBI triple to center in his third at bat, and a two-run double to left in his fourth at bat.
• Masayuki Kuwahara also drove in three runs.

Source: Sponichi 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Daily Sports 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/21/2013, Sports Hochi 2/21/2013

===

SK (KBO) vs Chunichi Dragons

• Cancelled

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013

===

KIA (KBO) 3 - Rakuten Eagles 5

• Rakuten pitchers walked seven hitters.
• Yoshinao Kamata started the game and allowed one run on four hits over three innings of work.  He threw fifty pitches and struck out five.  With runners on first and second and two out in the 3rd inning, he gave up a bloop RBI single to left.  He topped out at 140km/h.
• Satoshi Nagai relieved Kamata and gave up two runs on two hits over three innings of work.  He threw forty-eight pitches and struck out three.  He issued a two-out walk in the 6th inning and then surrendered a home run.
• Darrell Rasner tossed a shutout inning in relief.
• Yusuke Kosai started at first and batted third.  He went 1-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.  With a runner on third and two out in the 3rd, he hit a home run to right.
• Andruw Jones was the starting DH and batted fourth.  He went 0-for-2: strikeout, strikeout, walk.
• Casey McGehee started at third and batted sixth.  He went 0-for-2: ground out to short, double play

Source: official announcement, Sponichi 2/20/2013, Sports Hochi 2/20/2013, Sports Hochi 2/20/2013, Nikkkan Sports 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Sports Hochi 2/21/2013

===

Goyang (KBFL) - Hanshin Tigers (Ni-gun)

• 2nd round draft pick Fumiya Hojo started at short and batted sixth.  He went 0-for-4.

Source: Sanspo 2/21/2013

========== Intra-squad Games ==========

Orix Buffaloes

• Whites beat the Reds, 4-1.
• 1st round draft pick Takahiro Matsuba pitched an inning and gave up three runs on two hits.  He served up a home run to Aarom Baldiris to lead off the 6th inning, and then two outs later, with a runner on second, surrendered his second long ball of the inning to Masato Fukae.
• Mike Schultz (tryout) tossed a perfect inning in relief.
• Ikusei 2nd round draft pick Hiroki Nishikawa collected two hits and stole two bases.  He hit a single through the left side in his first at bat in the 2nd inning and stole second.  He tried to steal third and was thrown out.  He hit a single to right in the 5th and stole second.

Source: Sports Hochi 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Sponichi 2/21/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/21/2013, Sports Hochi 2/21/2013

===

Softbank Hawks

• Reds blanked the Whites, 3-0.
• Ryota Igarashi tossed a shutout inning in relief and recorded two strikeouts.  He topped out at 142km/h.
• Bryan LaHair collected two hits: single to center in his first at bat, single to left in his second at bat.
• Yuki Yanagita started in center and batted fifth for the Whites.  He hit a double to right off Shintaro Ejiri in his second trip to the plate.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Sponichi 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Sponichi 2/20/2013, Sponichi 2/21/2013

Ichi-gun camp had the day off today.

===

Alex Ramirez and Nyjer Morgan visited Ginowan Elementary School today and spent the day with about 800 kids.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/19/2013

===

Baseball analyst Suguru Egawa told Yuki Kuniyoshi that it was important to learn how to throw inside strikes and balls.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/19/2013

========== Practice Games ==========

SK (KBO) vs Yokohama Bay Stars (Ni-gun)

• Shugo Fujii started the game and did not allow a run over two innings of work.  He gave up two hits, struck out three, and topped out at 138km/h.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/19/2013

===

Samsung (KBO) 2 - Yomiuri Giants 3

• Shoki Kasahara started the game and tossed three shutout innings.  He struck out four, topped out at 145km/h, and allowed just one hit, a lead-off double in the 1st.
• Daisuke Fujimura entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the 5th inning and hit a single to center.
• Taishi Ota entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the 5th and hit a single to center.  He also hit a sac fly to center in the 7th.  On defense, he allowed a runner on second to score by misplaying a ball hit to center in the 6th.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/19/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/19/2013, Sponichi 2/19/2013, Sanspo 2/19/2013, Sponichi 2/20/2013

========== Intra-squad Games ==========

Orix Buffaloes

• Whites beat the Reds, 3-2.
• Tomoya Yagi was a starter and gave up a run on one hit over three innings of work.  Yagi gave up a run in the 1st and retired the side in order in the 2nd and 3rd innings.
• Yuki Nishi tossed three shutout innings while allowing one hit.
• 1st round draft pick Torai Fushimi threw out three base-stealers at second in the 8th inning.
• Ryoichi Adachi started at short and batted eighth.  He went 2-for-2 with the HBP and a stolen base.
• Vinny Rottino started in left and batted third.  He hit a home run off Satoshi Komatsu in the 9th inning.
• Six runners were caught trying to steal a base.  Ryoichi Adachi and Takayoshi Kawabata were the only players that managed to succeed (one each).

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/19/2013, Sports Hochi 2/19/2013, Sponichi 2/20/2013, Sponichi 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/20/2013, Sports Hochi 2/20/2013, Sanspo 2/20/2013

===

Suguru Egawa visited Yokohama camp today and gave Kisho Kagami and Yuki Kuniyoshi advice on how to improve their games.

Source: Daily Sports 2/18/2013

===

Daisuke Miura likes to start his day with a thirty-minute morning walk and a thirty-minute bike ride around the stadium.  He begins after 6:00am and is fully ready for practices that begin at 10:00am.

Source: Sanspo 2/18/2013

========== Practice Games ==========

Yokohama Bay Stars 3 - Yakult Swallows 5

Yokohama

• Yuki Kuniyoshi started the game and gave up three runs on four hits over two innings of work.
• Kenji Tsuchiya tossed two shutout innings in relief while allowing one hit.
• Yoshitomo Tsutsugo started at third and batted fourth.  He went 2-for-3.  He hit a two-out three-run double in the 3rd inning.
• Nyjer Morgan reached base three times on two infield hits and an HBP.

Yakult

• The offense scored five runs on ten hits.
• Masato Nakazawa started the game.  He tossed two shutout innings before giving up three runs in his third inning of work.  He surrendered three hits, walked/hit two, and struck out one.
• Ryosuke Yagi relieved Nakazawa and tossed two shutout innings while allow two hits.  He also struck out one and walked two.
• Ryo Hirai did not allow a run over two innings of work.  He gave up two hits, topped out at 148km/h, and struck out two.
• Yuhei started in right and batted sixth.  He went 3-for-3: single to left in the 2nd, two-run home run in the 3rd, double to left-center in the 5th inning, walk.  He was a triple short of the cycle.  He also stole one base.
• 6th round draft pick Ryota Yachi started at short and batted eighth.  He went 2-for-3: single to left in the 3rd inning and a single to right in the 5th.

Source: official report (Yakult), Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Sponichi 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Daily Sports 2/17/2013, Sanspo 2/17/2013, Sponichi 2/18/2013, Sanspo 2/18/2013, Sanspo 2/18/2013

===

Rakuten Eagles 11 - Hanshin Tigers 1

Rakuten

• Yasunori Kikuchi started the game and gave up one run over three innings of work.
• Wataru Karashima relieved Kikuchi and tossed three shutout innings while allowing two hits.
• Hiroyuki Fukuyama tossed a shutout inning in relief.  He faced four batters (he gave up a two-out double) and needed just nine pitches to get out of the inning.
• Andruw Jones was the starting DH and batted fourth.  He led off the 2nd inning with a single over Tsuyoshi Nishioka's head.
• Casey McGehee started at third and batted sixth.  With runners on first and second and no out in the 2nd, he hit a game-tying RBI double to right of Takumi Akiyama.
• Tetsuro Nishida started at short and batted seventh.  He went 3-for-3 with one walk and two RBI: sac fly to right, double to right, single to left, RBI single to right, walk.

Hanshin

• The offense scored one run on six hits.
• Takumi Akiyama started the game and gave up two runs on three hits over three innings of work.  He topped out at 142km/h.
• Akira Iwamoto relieved Akiyama and tossed three shutout innings while allowing two hits.  He also struck out two, including Andruw Jones looking.  He topped out at 140km/h.
• Kazuya Takamiya entered the game in the 7th and gave up three runs over an inning of work.  He faced nine batters and gave up three hits and two walks.  He also threw two wild pitches.
• 3rd round draft pick Kojiro Tanabo entered the game in the 8th and gave up four runs on three hits over 0.2 innings of work.
• Masanori Fujihara gave up two runs over 1.1 innings of work.  He faced seven batters and allowed two hits and two walks.  He also threw one wild pitch.
• Tsuyoshi Nishoka started at second and batted third.  He went 0-for-2.
• Ryota Arai started at first and batted clean-up.  He went 2-for-4: two-out RBI single to center in the 1st inning and single to right in the 6th inning.

Source: official report (Rakuten), Sports Hochi 2/17/2013, Sports Hochi 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Daily Sports 2/17/2013, Daily Sports 2/17/2013, Sanspo 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Sponichi 2/18/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/18/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/18/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/18/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/18/2013, Sports Hochi 2/18/2013, Sports Hochi 2/18/2013, Sansp 2/18/2013, Sanspo 2/18/2013

===

Doosan (KBO) 2 - Seibu Lions 4

• Ken Togame started the game and did not allow a run over three innings of work.  He gave up one hit, topped out at 144km/h, and struck out seven, including six in a row between the 1st and 3rd innings.
• Yosuke Okamoto tossed three shutout innings in relief.  He allowed one hit.
• Shingo Takeyama led off the 5th inning with a home run to left.
• Ryan Spilborghs hit an RBI double.
• Shogo Akiyama collected a tie-breaking, pinch-hit two-run triple in the 8th.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/18/2013

===

KIA (KBO) 4 - Chunichi Dragons 5

• Shinji Iwata started the game and gave up a run on four hits over three innings of work.  He also walked/hit three.
• Akifumi Takahashi tossed a shutout inning in relief.  He allowed one hit, walked one, and threw a wild pitch.
• Shuhei Takahashi went 1-for-3 with a walk.
• Yusuke Matsui started in left and batted fifth.  He went 2-for-4 with two RBI.  With runners on second and third and no out in the 5th, he cleared the bases with a double to left.

Source: official report, Sanspo 2/17/2013, Sponichi 2/18/2013, Sanspo 2/18/2013

===

Ni-gun: Seibu Lions 1 - Hanshin Tigers 6

Hanshin

• Daiki Kiyohara started the game and did not allow a run over three innings of work.  He threw thirty-four pitches and gave up one hit.
• 2nd round draft pick Fumiya Hojo started at short and batted seventh.  He went 1-for-4 with an RBI.  With runners on first and second and one out in the 8th, he hit an RBI single to single to center.

Source: Daily Sports 2/17/2013, Sanspo 2/18/2013, Sanspo 2/18/2013

===

Sega Sammy (Industrial League) 7 - Ni-gun Yakult Swallows 2

•  The pitching staff allowed seven runs on fourteen hits.
• Masato Furuno started the game and gave up three runs on five hits and one walk over two innings of work.  He also struck out one.
• Ryohei Kiya relieved Furuno and tossed two shutout innings while allowing two hits.  He also struck out five.
• Takanori Sato started in center and batted third.  He went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.

Source: official report

========== Intra-squad Games ==========

Chiba Lotte Marines

• Whites beat the Reds, 3-2.  Seven innings.
• Yoshihisa Naruse (Reds) and Takahiro Fujioka (Whites) were both starters and did not allow a hit or a run over two innings of work.
• 1st round draft pick Takahiro Matsunaga entered the game in the 5th inning and struck out the side on fifteen pitches.  He topped out at 143km/h.
• 4th round draft pick Shohei Kato started in left and batted second.  He went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases.
• Naoya Emura hit a walk-off single through the left-side in the bottom of the 7th.

Source: official report, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Sponichi 2/18/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/18/2013

===

Softbank Hawks

• Whites blanked the Reds, 6-0.  Eight innings.
• Whites scored six runs on seventeen hits.  All players in the starting line-up had at least one hit.
• Brian Falkenborg started the game for the Whites and tossed a shutout inning.  He allowed one hit and topped out at 145km/h.
• Sho Iwasaki started for the Reds and also tossed a shutout inning.
• 1st round draft pick Nao Higashihama entered the game in the 6th for the Reds and tossed a shutout inning.  He faced five batters, allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out one.  Higashihama retired the first two batters in order before allowing a single to center to 3rd round draft pick Tomoki Takata and walking Yuya Hasegawa.  He ended the inning by getting Bryan LaHair to ground out to second.
• 6th round draft pick Hirofumi Yamanaka did not allow a run or hit over two innings of work for the Whites.
• 3rd round draft pick Tomoki Takata started at short and batted second for the Whites.  He went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base.  He hit a double off Brian Falkenborg in the 1st, an RBI single to center off Yoshiaki Fujioka in the 3rd, and a single to center off Nao Higashihama in the 6th.
• Hidenori Tanoue and Atsushi Fukumoto played for the Whites and collected three hits.
• Kyohei Kamezawa went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Source: official report, Sponichi 2/17/2013, Sponichi 2/17/2013, Sponichi 2/17/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/17/2013, Sponichi 2/18/2013, Nikkan Sports 2/18/2013

===

Nippon Ham Fighters

• Game ended in a tie, 8-8.
• 3rd round draft pick Yohei Kagiya entered the game in the 3rd inning for the Whites and tossed two shutout innings while allowing one hit.  He topped out at 146km/h.  Of the ten pitchers that appeared in the game (both sides), he was the only one that did not allow any runs.
• 1st round draft pick Shohei Otani entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Eiichi Koyano (Whites) in the 4th inning and hit a single through the left side off Keisuke Tanimoto.  He also ran from first to third on a single to right by Micah Hoffpauir.  After that: double to right in the 5th off Masaru Saito; strikeout looking in the 7th; and strikeout swinging in the 9th.
• Eiichi Koyano was the starting DH and batted third for the Whites.  He flied out to second in his lone at bat.

Source: Sports Hochi 2/17/2013, Daily Sports 2/17/2013, Sponichi 2/17/2013, Sports Hochi 2/18/2013, Sanspo 2/18/2013

===

Takayuki Kajitani felt pain on the left side of his chest on Friday and was evaluated at two hospitals.  He was ultimately diagnosed with a contusion.  Kajitani may have suffered the bruise while scoring on double in the 1st inning of a practice game against Hanwha on the 12th.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/16/2013

===

Nineteen pitchers played a modified game of tag as part of their training on Friday.  Yuki Kuniyoshi had the distinction of being the last to be IT and had to do a 100 squats.

The pitchers also swam some relay races in the pool.

Source: Daily Sports 2/16/2013